Bunnahabhain 1991 Untold Riches 28 yo

 

 

 

49,1°

Distillery : Bunnahabhain - Islay

28 Bourbon Hogsheads and 3 Sherry Butts

Independent Bottling 

By Wemyss Vintage Malts Limited

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2020

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

At Wemyss Malts, they love bottling Bunnahabhain, which is undoubtedly the distillery they use the most, along with Bowmore. Here, they offer a very special product, a blend of 31 casks distilled between 1987 and 1991, 28 of which are Bourbon Hogsheads and the last three are Sherry Butts. A total of 6,500 bottles were produced and released in February 2021. The entire stock was quickly sold out. An amusing and often mocked detail: there's a spelling mistake on the label, the name of the distillery is missing an ‘h’ - they've written it Bunnahabain! The importance of choosing the right sub-contractors.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

The nose opens with a delicate iodine, a whiff of sea breeze, and very quickly, buttery vanilla, ripe white fruits, brown sugar, unctuous caramel, blood orange, hints of charcoal and a shadow of smoke. On the palate, it's soft and sweet, cat's tongue biscuits, a knob of butter with caramel and vergeoise, crunchy nougatine, marzipan, and in the background some fairly robust spices, cloves and cumin, which open onto a lovely, long finish, salted butter caramel, peppery chocolate, light touches of liquorice, to land on a beach of fine sand, iodine and limestone lace, a grain of salt.

 

In Short, 

You have to give a medal to the Master Blender who conceived this little thing, because it really is a little masterpiece. At once costal, gourmand, highly complex, expressive and fine, it's one of the best Bunna I've tasted so far. And yet it's reduced. Unfortunately, because it's sold out, the price of the few bottles you can find on the secondary market has rocketed. A purchase of this little marvel is therefore no longer an option.

Score : 90

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :                                           

 

                                           CocoRosie - Fairly Paradise

Bowmore 1998 Mocha on the Deck Wemyss Malts 18 yo

 

 

 

59,3°

Distillery : Bowmore - Islay

Sherry Butt

Independent Bottling 

By Wemyss Malts 

Limited Edition

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2017

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated around 25 ppm

 

 

 

In my previous post, I mentioned that Wemyss Malts, a trading company founded in 2005, produced some exceptional Single Casks. This one is famous, and a fine example. Distilled in 1998, then aged for over 18 years in a single Sherry Butt, 668 bottles were bottled at cask strength. The title 'Mocha on the Deck' is no doubt there to emphasise the notes of mocha that can be found in it. Mocha is a rather tasty type of Arabica coffee from Ethiopia and Yemen.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Sherry liqueur, slightly acidic, but quite deep too, wisps of smoke, floral fragrances, it's heady, rich, earthy, marzipan, pudding, cake dough. Intense red fruits, strawberry, raspberry and gooseberry. Some spices, saffron, paprika. In the background, charcoal, asphalt, tar. Dry earth. On the palate, nectar, it's syrupy, rosewater, a hint of grenadine, but soon the spices rise, chilli, pepper, tarragon. Juicy fruits: damsons, mirabelle plums, blackcurrants. Coffee, forest undergrowth, damp ferns. Very fine balance at the end. Very powerful finish, even longer, carmine, red fruits, muscat grapes, grilled meat, on a layer of glowing coals. Cardamom in retro-olfaction. It's fresh.

 

In Short, 

It's true that I found a touch of coffee in it, but that's not by far the main flavour marker, in my opinion. It's more red fruits, with a slight acidity. But it remains very complex, deep and intense throughout. A whisky of exceptional quality, the kind you can empty your savings account for without any regrets.

Score : 91

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

  

                                           Chet Baker - Leaving

Peat Chimney Batch Strength 002

 

 

 

57°

Distillery Officially Unknown - Islay

Bourbon Casks and Sherry Hogsheads Finish

Independent Bottling 

By Wemyss Malts 

Blended Malt

Limited Edition 

Bottled in 2018

Unchillfiltered

 

 

 

William and Isabella Wemyss founded Wemyss Malts in 2005. As well as a few high-quality single casks, they also bottle a number of blends of all kinds. Peat Chimney is part of their Core Range, and there are two Batch Strength limited editions at the moment, the first launched in 2017 and the second in 2019. It's a blend of peaty to very peaty single malts, almost all of which come from the island of Islay. Unfortunately, it's impossible to know which distilleries were involved, or the peat content. What we do know is that 9,000 bottles were released for sale.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Nice firepower, ashy peat, full ashtray, but also a touch of vanilla citrus. I read that this is a Blended, but I can only smell Ardbeg here. With a sweet, honeyed touch, fermented milk, syrupy fruit, lychee, mango, guava. It's a bit mineral, quartz, gypsum, mixed with powder. On the palate, the alcohol is well integrated, but the flavours are light, still exotic fruits, bananas, coconut, rose water, then the spices rise, it's quite strong. Pepper, ginger. The finish is a bit harsh, but long, ashy, robust and vegetal. A hint of sweetness in the aftertaste, vanilla and pastry cream. Genoise.

 

In Short, 

It's a nice blend, but I think the Ardbeg dominates. I think there's also some Bunnahabhain for the mineral character, and maybe some other stuff. To be honest, I don't really see the point of the product, but hey, there are not too many flaws, it's not expensive at all, so why not buy one occasionally?

Score : 86  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                          To Be Listened While Sipping :

  

                                          Bon Jovi - Wanted Dead or Alive